For The Time Being
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Post 3x09. Voight's behavior doesn't sit right with Erin, so when she heads over to Jay's for the night, they end up talking about it.


Hank left her at the bar after he finished his Manhattan, saying something about a Skype call with Justin and Olive and the baby.

Erin just nodded and waved him off with a halfhearted smile. As soon as his back was to her, though, the smile fell and she stared pensively into her glass of club soda.

"Sure you don't want anything harder?" Herrmann asked her, bar towel slung over his shoulder, concerned look on his face.

Erin shook her head, "No thanks, Herrmann. I'm...uh...changing some habits."

"Respect," the firefighter nodded at her, "Shout if you need a refill."

"I will," Erin said, lifting her glass in a slight toast. She sipped at the cold drink, trying to figure out why her stomach was in uncomfortable knots.

Everything about this case had bugged her. From Kozlow being told to take the fall straight to Voight letting Shelte leave the precinct.

Erin's phone buzzed on the bar top before she could analyze her feelings any further. She sighed and looked down at the display screen, a tiny smile forming when she saw the text from Jay.

She finished the rest of her club soda and dropped a few bills to the counter top before gathering her coat and heading out to her car.

* * *

"I hope there's some pepperoni pizza around," she called, pushing open Jay's front door.

Jay's dark head was visible over the back of the couch, "Yeah, and garlic knots. Come on, you're missing the game."

Erin smiled to herself and dropped her coat and purse to the floor, kicking her boots off next.

"Think the Bears will win one?" She asked, settling onto the couch and folding her legs under her body. Erin reached for a slice of pizza and Jay shoved a napkin under her chin.

Off of Erin's disgruntled and confused look, Jay shrugged, "You're a messy eater. I don't feel like getting sauce and cheese all over me when this gets horizontal."

"When?" Erin said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Yeah, when," Jay waggled his eyebrows, "You know you can't resist."

"Do something about the oregano stuck in your teeth and we'll talk, Halstead," Erin laughed, taking a huge bite out of her slice.

"Damn," Jay muttered, running his tongue over his teeth. They settled back into the couch and watched the game, quickly polishing off the pie.

Erin was quiet through the first two quarters, her mind still preoccupied with Hank.

Jay noticed her silence and at halftime he commented.

"You okay?" He asked casually, one eye on the halftime show.

Erin shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

"You'd tell me if you weren't, right?" Jay looked over at her, concern crossing his features. They'd talked a little bit about Erin's issues, but Jay wanted to keep reinforcing the fact that he would be there for her.

She draped her legs across his lap and nodded, "Yeah, Jay, I'd tell you."

Her lips turned slightly downward in a frown, "It's just...this case bugged me."

"Well, yeah," Jay said off-handedly as the game came back from commercial, "What they did to Victoria was..." He shuddered just thinking about the poor girl's mutilated body.

Erin shook her head, "No not that. Well, yes, that was horrible. But Hank and The Outfit. He was so short with me and then he let Shelte go!"

Jay shifted so he could look at Erin, "Are you mad cause Voight wasn't coddling you?"

Erin narrowed her eyes, "No! I don't want to be in the unit because Voight basically raised me. I'm there because I'm good police. But I deserve respect!"

"You know how he is," Jay said, holding one hand up in surrender, "He's Voight. Don't think too much about it."

"He didn't trust us, Jay!" Erin exclaimed, frustrated, "He didn't trust me!"

"Oh, that's what this is," Jay said, "You think you're still on the outs with Voight after this summer."

"Jay, you're not getting it," Erin ground out, "Voight can go over the limit. It's up to us to keep him in line and I can't do that if he doesn't trust me enough to tell me what he's doing."

She paused for a breath and plowed right over whatever Jay opened his mouth to say, "I was at Molly's before I came here and Voight stopped by. You didn't...he tried to explain that I wouldn't always like what he does to get results and he won't always explain himself to me. Jay, he said he loves me."

"I am...not seeing your point," Jay frowned, "Er, isn't that a good thing?"

"It should be," Erin sighed, tired and frustrated and angry, "But you didn't hear how he said it. It was more of a...a...like he was condescending to me."

Erin was trying to figure out her thoughts and why Voight's comments had bothered her, even as she talked.

Jay narrowed his eyes, "So, basically, you just want to keep an eye on Voight to make sure he's not...what? Dirty? Again?"

Erin swatted at his chest, "That 'again?' was so unnecessary, Jay."

Jay smirked, "But true."

Erin couldn't argue. She lifted one shoulder in a partial shrug.

"But, will you just help me keep an eye out?" She asked, not really understanding why she felt so strongly about Hank's connection to The Outfit, especially when he had done far worse things than send a man to death by mob.

Jay could see how much this whole thing was bothering Erin. He reached out and caught her hand between his, "Hey, if this is important to you, it's important to me."

"Thanks," Erin said softly, dropping her head to rest against his shoulder, "Voight's not a bad guy. I don't want him to get in trouble."

Jay brushed a hand through Erin's hair, "Don't worry about it."

Jay thought he might regret his next statement later, but he remembered Voight's concern about Erin.

"Just...cut him some slack, okay?" Jay said stiffly, "He's trying to look out for you."

Erin lifted up into one hand to look Jay in the eye and laughed.

"How painful was that to say?" She teased him.

"Very," Jay grinned back at her, "Now can we stop talking about Voight? He's like Voldemort. Say his name enough and he pops up."

Erin cracked up, "Oh my god, you're such a dork."

"Yeah, but you sleep with me, so I win," Jay laughed, grabbing her face so he could shut her up with a kiss.

Erin happily kissed him back, putting aside all thoughts about Hank for the time being.

* * *

 _A/N: So I follow Halsteadonhalstead on Tumblr and a lot of the stuff she says about the episodes are seriously true. This season's been really uneven in character development and dropping plots and everything. So, sometimes I think the episodes need more added to them. This is that for 3x09 "Never Forget I Love You"_

 _Drop me a review, let me know what you think. Come and chat CPD in my inbox too! :)_


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